An Up and Down Day From Jack Allison Spells Defeat For WVU

Morgantown, WV – Facing third down and two on WVU’s first drive of the game, quarterback Austin Kendall dropped back to pass. As the pocket was collapsing, he was hit as he threw and the ball came tumbling from the junior signal caller’s hands then bounced on the turf to be recovered safely by tight end Mike O’Laughlin. Despite this unfortunate sack, it did not look to be a major issue for the Mountaineers as over three quarters still remained in a then-tied game. That was until Kendall was taken to the medical observation tent on the WVU sideline.

As Kendall was attended to, the Mountaineer defense got its second stop of the day and backup quarterback Jack Allison was called upon to make his second appearance of the season. Fans had little expectations for the former Miami Hurricane. On the year, Allison completed just one of two passing attempts with the other going for a pick-six in the absolute debacle that was WVU’s trip to Missouri.

It was a mixed bag of sorts for the junior as he put together an efficient passing ratio of 16 for 24 but saw those 16 completions go for just 140 yards against a tough Iowa State defense. With head coach Neal Brown protecting his inexperienced quarterback, the Mountaineers rarely threw the ball downfield and were often content to move the ball with short, quick passes and runs by Leddie Brown.

This strategy proved to be successful in the first half as Allison and the offense were able to efficiently move the ball down the field on multiple drives. A combination of ball control by the Cyclones and a pick-six by WVU safety Tykee Smith kept the offense off the field for most of the first half, only mustering four drives in the opening thirty minutes. A run for loss on Allison’s first possession forced a three-and-out but in his other two first-half drives, the Mountaineers looked like a well-oiled machine.

The team moved quickly down the field with Allison completing two of his three passes and Brown running with that hard, downhill style that has become his trademark. However, just as it looked like a rhythm was being worked out, Brown caught a screen pass from Allison and turned upfield. Falling awkwardly as he was tackled, the sophomore lost his hold on the ball and it rolled right up to the waiting hands of a Cyclone defender.

The next drive proved to be, arguably, the best drive that Jack Allison has led in a Mountaineer uniform. Starting at his own 24, the junior was able to engineer a 14 play, 76-yard scoring possession to even the score ahead of halftime. Making multiple key throws over the middle of the field, the lanky passer completed 6 of 7 passes on that drive to rack up 77 yards and his first touchdown of the year. With a few throws into tight windows, including his nine-yard scoring toss to TJ Simmons, it appeared that Allison may have finally been showing that ability that made him a highly sought after high school recruit.

However, the second half would not be so kind to Jack Allison. Despite strong numbers as far as completion percentage, 8 for 12, the WVU passing attack was held to just 33 yards in the second half. This was reflective of the offensive output in that half as a whole as the Mountaineers produced just 44 total yards.

Struggling to move the ball and averaging less than three yards per attempt, coach Neal Brown decided to start throwing downfield. However, according to the head coach, the ISU defense’s three safety set caused fits for Allison and his receivers as they were unable to hit a big shot. The last of these deep balls proved costly as a long throw into coverage was intercepted by Cyclone defender Braxton Lewis, all but sealing the game for Iowa State.

Offensive coordinator Matt Moore made it clear that WVU was in a tough position having to go to Allison for most of the game.

“The hardest part is making sure you run plays that he got repped at during the week.”, Moore said about WVU’s playcalling predicament, “There’s just not enough time in the week to get both quarterbacks repped in all the plays. We always have our game planned list of plays for the backup quarterback but you really bring down your ability to open up a lot of stuff.”

While it was not likely the best day that Jack Allison has had under center, it can certainly be seen as an incremental improvement over his prior showings in Morgantown. Pending the injury status of Austin Kendall, it may be that Allison is the man going forward for the Mountaineers. While 140 yards may not be a gaudy number, he by no means lost the game for WVU and showed flashes of promise that had not yet been seen. With a more wide-open playbook, it is yet to be seen what Jack Allison can do in this newly built Neal Brown offense.